We have already invested 5 million euro into the modernisation of production and we are not stopping here

For three decades, PakMarkas has been operating as a provider of product labelling services, engineered packaging and production automation solutions. In recent years, the company has significantly modernised its production processes. Following the implementation of multiple digitalisation solutions, the company has increased its production volumes and today is able to handle more complex orders and produce higher quality products. The company plans to continue investing in new technologies in search of solutions that meet the needs of the company’s customers.

According to Linas Čereška, the CEO of PakMarkas, high volumes of non-automated work prevented the company from efficiently increasing its production capacity; therefore, the company decided to invest in the digitalisation of production processes. As of 2019, the company has already invested over 5 million euro into the modernisation of production.

“The level of digitalisation at the company was not sufficient enough to keep us highly competitive in the market. To achieve higher productivity, increase production volumes and be able to handle more complex orders, we had to modernise our production by introducing automation technologies. After conducting a technology audit of the company, we have evaluated our opportunities and prospects. The project “Investments in Industry Digitalisation”, funded by the EU and started in 2019, has been successfully finalised in October of this year. The subsidy received from EU funds has been crucial as it enabled us to purchase all necessary digitalisation technologies within the specified time frame, which we had not been able to do on our own”, says the CEO of the company.

More environmentally friendly flexible packaging and more sophisticated labels

As part of the project, PakMarkas renewed its printing lines and processing equipment. Thanks to advanced technologies, we are able to fulfil more complex orders that include larger numbers of exclusive effects. For example, a new hot stamping machine has the ability to embellish labels with variety of decorative elements – an option that was previously not available to PakMarkas’ customers.

An automated printing and laminating machine with integrated digitising technology expanded PakMarkas’ film printing capabilities. After purchasing this machine, the company has broadened its production range by introducing a new product – flexible laminated films. It is one of the fastest growing products on the European market which is expected to reach 80 billion euro in the EU market over the next 4 years. Thanks to lighter weight and lower logistics costs, Doy-pack bags or also known as stand-up pouch packaging, which has become particularly popular in recent years, has become an excellent alternative to rigid packaging. This packaging is the perfect solution for a diverse range of industries, including food, beverages, cosmetics and more.

“Sustainable product development has always been one of the top priorities for us at PakMarkas, which is why we have chosen the solventless lamination technology for our laminated films. This is a considerably safer and more environmentally friendly option compared to other technologies available on the market. As EU requirements becoming stricter from 2025, more and more films will have to be recyclable. Therefore, when developing new laminate structures, we are focusing on recyclable homogeneous packaging made of the same type of plastic”, comments Miroslav Brazulevič, the Head of Product Development Department.

New technologies bring even more value: they allow us to optimise the use of printing materials and enhance printing quality. Machinery is equipped with automatic cameras and is capable of detecting printing flaws, thus minimising the likelihood of such defects.

Customer experience improvement is also on the agenda

A project with a budget exceeding 500 thousand euro, currently being implemented by the company, is aimed at the digitalisation of the production process necessary for the production of innovative products with highly sophisticated configurations.

We have plans to purchase a new automatic printing form cutting machine, which will produce printing forms faster and more accurately, and will also be much more environmentally friendly as it will use less polymer. In addition, we are planning to modernise the production lines of shrink sleeve labels:  this process will speed up, the quality of production will improve and the work of operators will become easier.

The company is also upgrading its warehouse management system: a warehouse, which was previously not integrated into the system, has been connected to the overall system.

“Now we will be able to efficiently manage raw materials, track balances and improve supply chain management. This is a necessary step in order to maintain a competitive advantage in this dynamic market”, says L. Čereška.

The CEO of PakMarkas emphasises that the acquired technologies have significantly increased company’s ability to meet the diverse demands of customers with enhanced flexibility, to print on different materials (paper, film) and do it at a faster rate. “We are taking an even bigger step towards sustainability by saving materials and reducing printing waste. And in the coming years, we will invest in and enhance our customer service. Our orders are often quite small and require a lot of manual work in the field of pricing. We seek to modernise these processes through the use of automation solutions. This will not only facilitate the work of our employees, but it will also speed up the customer service process. Our aim is to ensure the highest level of service for our customers while effectively and economically managing our business. Investing in automation of our customer service process is the way to achieve this goal and secure our company’s long-term success” says the CEO.